Providers tell CMS it’s ‘decidedly’ the wrong time to toy with PDPM rates
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 03, 2021
Providers need more time before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would implement any adjustments to PDPM payment rates, operators and associations have told the agency in official comments.
CMS let the cat out of the bag, but it’s managed care that’s ready to pounce
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 05, 2021
If you work with managed care (and who doesn’t anymore), chances are pretty good you’re already on a collision course that’s been accelerated lately
As Medicare Advantage drives rate lower, fed-up CEOs embrace strategies that limit carriers’ influence
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 26, 2021
Medicare Advantage’s aggressive market penetration represents a major threat to skilled nursing providers, some of whom now find themselves clearing less per resident day through MA plans than they do...
Spring cleaning 2021: Will your rehab team pass the white-glove review?
By
Renee Kinder
Apr 22, 2021
Spring is in the air. Time to open the doors, let some fresh air in, and clean above, under and between every surface in our homes. Spring is a season that allows my obsessive cleaning habits to become...
‘Audits are back,’ and COVID-19 care is in the hot seat
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 21, 2021
Flexibilities granted to providers during the ongoing public health emergency are likely to result in increased medical reviews and automated denials, a therapy billing specialist is warning.
Is the doctor in? Improve nursing homes with one easy stroke
By
Kenneth Lehmann
Apr 14, 2021
Many nursing home COVID-19 patients would have benefitted from daily, reimbursed-for physician visits in their skilled nursing facilities, but they were not entitled to them. With an epic crisis...
CMS proposes 1.3% pay increase — with plenty of strings attached
By
Kimberly Marselas
Danielle Brown
Apr 09, 2021
A proposal that would boost Medicare payments to skilled nursing providers by 1.3% next fiscal year also could trigger additional reporting requirements and increase the potential for penalties.
NY Tough campaign can’t disguise nursing home cuts that worsened COVID-19 struggles
By
Brendan Williams
Mar 10, 2021
No long-term care advocate is surprised by what was hiding behind Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s mask of self-congratulatory competence. Indeed, his reckless disregard for the lives of nursing home residents in...
‘Alarming’ nurse turnover rates linked to quality, payment woes in major new nursing home study
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 02, 2021
Skilled nursing’s employee turnover problem — long linked to issues with quality of care — is much worse than previously reported, according to a massive analysis published Monday.
Industry may ‘never be the same’ without increases in Medicaid reimbursement, advisors warn
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 19, 2021
Increased state Medicaid reimbursement is necessary if providers ever hope to improve their financial and operational outlooks, a new analysis by advisory firm Marcum LLP suggests.